Cooking eggs and bacon in stainless steel skillet?

[Geila]

Hi all,
I've always used non-stick cookware but find that after a number of years the coating begins to wear off which makes the pans unusable and it's such a waste. I'm also starting to worry about the fumes that they are reported to give off when heated too high.

I'm thinking of switching over to stainless steel with aluminum core. Before I invest I'm hoping I can alleviate some concerns I have. For those of you who use stainless w/ aluminum core:

Do you have any problems cooking eggs and bacon in them? Or omelettes? Egg scrambles? I cook eggs everyday for breakfast and want to make sure that a stainless skillet won't cause sticking and burning. If they do, I can always buy a non-stick skillet for eggs only. Stainless is pricey so I'll have to get good use out of it if I buy it.

Thanks in advance!

[Rosemary]

To cook eggs in a stainless steel skillet:
Heat the skillet
THEN add a little butter or oil and let that warm up. Swirl it around.
Then add the eggs.
They do not stick at all this way, but if you skip the first step and just add the fat to a cold skillet, they will stick terribly.

[Geila]

Thanks for the reply Rosemary!

Do you ever use other fats like canola oil or bacon grease? Both dh and I are lactose-intolerant and I've been avoiding butter. Not sure if butter's a problem, more of a cautionary measure even though we really like it.

[Spider In The Bath]

I have stainless steel pans and would never go back to non-stick ones. I have had mine years and years. We used to save up when we were much younger and poorer and buy a pan every few months until we had a set. They are expensive, but worth it.

I cook the same way as Rosemary. I have used olive oil, vegetable oil and butter, but never bacon fat so sorry cannot help with this.

[Gina]

I've collected nice stainless steel over the years and just love them. But I keep a separate small teflon for eggs so I can use very little fat. (Any fat will do.) I will replace the teflon pan every few years so it's still very non-stick.

I love it but rarely cook bacon so I don't know about that.

I find in general I use more fat to saute with stainless than teflon, but would never go back.

[Geila]

Thanks guys! You've made my decision much easier! I am buying a lovely Cuisinart skillet today. :)

[CathyA]

I got rid of all my teflon, except a big stir-fry pan that I just use occasionally. If the fumes kill birds, it can't be good for humans either.
We just always use some olive oil, then the bacon, then the eggs. Bacon grease would work fine.

[JaneV2.0]

Bacon fat will work just fine. Bon appetit!

[Spider In The Bath]

Thanks guys! You've made my decision much easier! I am buying a lovely Cuisinart skillet today. :)

You made me start thinking about how long I have had my pans for. I can remember where I bought them from and where I was living which gives me a rough date. I have had some of the pans for over 15 years and they are still going strong so yours should be a good investment too.

[Bastelmutti]

I have a Cuisinart stainless set & use it for everything - it's great. We haven't had good luck with eggs, though. Eggs are mostly cooked on our cast iron pan - no problems with that.

PS I share your concerns about non-stick. As of recently, I do have one non-stick pan after not using them for years - I regard it as my "microwave" and heat up leftovers quickly for lunches or sometimes eggs, but that's it.